To support the government’s goal of raising employment, pay, and productivity in the UK, RSA Insurance is pledging more than £750,000 to fund external apprenticeships.
RSA’s funding will help launch 146 apprenticeships for 40 businesses across 12 sectors, which include agriculture, business administration, care services, charity, construction, creative & design, digital, education, hair & beauty, health & science, legal & finance, sales, as well as marketing & procurement.
The insurer will support businesses that have difficulty funding learning programmes that would train, upskill, and retain their existing talent, or are struggling to recruit new talent to close employment gaps. The latter is a major issue for key sectors identified by the government’s “levelling up” plan, such as care services – according to RSA, it will fund 64 apprenticeships in this sector.
“We are pleased to announce our pledge to support the development of apprenticeship programmes in vital roles and sectors. Apprenticeship opportunities must be celebrated as they build, shape and transform careers and lives for the better,” said RSA Insurance professional development consultant Clare Connor. “We’re excited to support and facilitate so many businesses to provide fantastic opportunities and share the success and benefits we’re experiencing through our apprenticeship programme. We know apprentices will make a huge impact and play a crucial role in developing and creating talent pipelines.”
Connor added that apprenticeships are now very inclusive and available to everyone, whether they are school leavers or mature professionals looking to upskill.
“At RSA, we’ve made it our mission to myth-bust and remove the stigma around apprenticeships, while creating a welcoming and supporting environment for our employees to thrive in,” Connor said.
Since it launched its own apprenticeship programme in 2018, RSA currently operates 58 programmes across the business. Some 276 apprentices from the insurer’s programmes are now serving in a variety of professional roles.
Large employers with an annual tax bill of over £3 million are required to pay the government’s Apprenticeship Levy; they have the option to transfer 25% of their levy funds to non-levy paying businesses to fund their apprenticeship training.
